EXCLUSIVE: Kat Von D Faces Intense New Backlash Over Hollywood Hills Inferno That Killed Her Beloved Cat
Kat Von D has found herself in hot water over a mansion fire.
July 12 2026, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Celeb tattooist Kat Von D allegedly killed her cat in a home blaze that also claimed the life of the property's cancer-stricken owner, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
That's the fiery claim of wannabe actor Teva Barnea, who alleges Kat's "bizarre lifestyle" sparked the inferno while renting his family's mansion.
Mansion Fire Sparks Feud
An insurance lawsuit blames the fire on Kat Von D leaving candles unattended.
The famed property, known as the Hollywood Hills Castle, burned down in 2010. The former L.A. Ink star's pet cat, Valentine, died in the flames, which also destroyed all her personal belongings.
A civil lawsuit filed by Teva's family's insurance company claimed the fire was caused by Kat leaving lit candles unattended.
Teva, whose mother, Debra Dresbach, owned the home, said his family later settled with Kat, which allegedly included a nondisclosure agreement that prevented Dresbach from speaking out on the incident.
Kat, real name Katherine von Drachenberg, has flatly denied the house fire was caused by candles, pinning the blame on faulty wiring. She also said she was away on a book tour when the blaze broke out.
'I Saw the Way She Lived, and It Was Bizarre'
Teva Barnea claimed the fire's stress caused his mother's fatal cancer relapse.
But in a TikTok video, Barnea put the blame squarely on Kat's shoulders.
"I saw the way that she lived, and it was bizarre," said Barnea, who appeared in the 2021 sci-fi short 99 Problems. "There were candles of all sizes – big, small, wide, every single corner, every mantel, down the steps, along the walls."
Barnea, 30, claims "the stress" of the fire, the restoration process and the lawsuit caused his mother's cancer to return "with such vengeance" before she died of the disease at age 70 in 2025.
He also blasted Kat as a "liar, a narcissist, truly a mean person," accusing her of sending "hateful emails" to his ailing mom.
Kat Von D posted a video defense denying she burned down the house or contributed to the woman's death.
Kat Von D Response
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Kat Von D denied the allegations, blaming faulty wiring while she was away on a book tour.
Kat fired back in a TikTok video, saying, "I've been accused of burning down a house and contributing to the death of a woman with cancer. Teva is accusing me of burning down his mother's house because I was lighting candles, which is not true."
She further claimed she didn't require Barnea's mother to sign an NDA and added, "This was a tragedy, and it was out of both of our control."
Barnea, who now lives in the restored mansion, hit back, claiming he had "an official fire report" that stated, "No ignition sources other than candles were identified within the fire's area of origin."
